Mooring of airships



Feb. 25, :1930.- v H. v. THADEN MooRING'oF AIRsHIPs Filled Jan. 22, 1924 4 Sheets-Sliema l v v INVENTOR.

' HERBERTV THHDEN BY l TTORNEY,

Feb. 25, 1930. H. v. THAISEN 1,748,500

lMooR'ING 0Fv AIRsHIPs Filed Jan. 22, 1924 4 sheets-sheet 2 FlEJL l TTORNEY FebQzs, 1930. l H. v. THADN 1,748,500

MooRING 0F AIRSHIPS l xfilecmml.` 221924 4 sheets-sheet 4 16%) l (60 (6?) 0 f INVENTOR.

HERBERTV. THHDEN f 'Y BYQ fj. Si;

I 1 v eus ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 25, i930 UNITED A'srxrias PATENT OFFICE l HERBERT V. THADEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN', ASSIGNVOR T0 AIRCRAFT DEVELOP- MENT CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION. OF MICHIGAN MOORING OF AIRSHIPS Application led January 22, 1924:. vSerial No. 687,689.

The subject-matter hereof relates tol inventions in methods of mooring. airships lsometimes referred to as dirigibles, andl the apparatus or' mooring gear for improved methods of mooring. Among the objects are the provision of means to hold an airship at restfor the purpose of unloading and loading, inspection or minor overhauling in ways more convenient, safer andmore expeditious than the methods of mooring heretofore known, to accomplish any o f these objects with apparatus and equipment `better suited to withstand the conditions of strain; and in general to moor ships inra manner that will protect the ship from ldamage or accident due to ground wind conditions, and in general to greatly facilitate the handling of airships for commercial use, both. at landing and for departure from stationsy or terminals.

Heretofore mooring masts or mooring towers have been built carrying mooring gear adapted to dock the ship by the nose, which involved hoisting supplies or passengers tov the mooring mast top with arrangements for access from the tower-head to the nose or bow of the ship. Such methods involve diiculties owing to the sensitive buoyancy of an airship, so that the regulation of trim of the ship is difficult, and air-current conditions add 3o to the troubles of preventing the stern of the ship from rise or fall even though the nose` be secured, while the movement ofoccupants and goods through the bow involves a constant variation in ballast diflicult and complicatedto compensate when having access only through the bow of the ship. Though it has been suggested to hold down a ships hull when moored, by the nose, such practice does not prevent the danger of damage or complete ruin of the ship by a down-gust and delicient trim, nor does it facilitate the discharge and chargingof the ship, lnor provide for all of the necessary manipulation and handling of a ship when moored for the purpose of meeting practical commercial or military conditions. also involve the diilicultieso'f snow loads and l to a lesser extent the added `weight due to rain and mist, as well as the diurnall variations of'atmospheric and heatl conditions.

Such prior methods All of these and many other short-comings of mooring methods and apparatus have now become well-known, and the inventions herein set forth aim to meet in a practical way all of such difficulties and secure added advanta es, which will be evident from the description of construction and operation here inafter set forth. f

The general features of this invention involve a method whereby an airship is brought -to a mast preferably ati or near lts head, secured by mooring gear which permits the mooring block or attachment to be lowered, and with this suitable means whereby the entire ship may be pulled down, under control,

with the bow mooring moving down, with the nal securing of the ship to the ground by means permitting its rotation around a point at `or adjacent its nose or prow where it is most advantageously held against wind pres- 7o sure,` but still permitted to freely swing-bythe-wind. It valso involves in conjunction with the mooring system, means for access to any number of desired parts of the and apparatus for the handling of goo s, passengers, supplies and ballast from any point throughout the length of the ship, and making available such apparatus as can be readilymoved when the ship swings, and also apparatus that will swing automatically with the ship without interrupting or deranging the process of loading or unloading.

The apparatus or gear for the practice of this method, involves a suitable tower amply braced internally when having clear sides from the top to near the bottom. The tower is made of suiiicient height to bring a ship to` dock by the nose, but the mast or tower-head equipment requires only the gear desirable for pulling in the ship and not apparatusv for loading or carrying supplies. From the top of the tower a substantially vertical guide rail is supported on the side of the tower in a way" permitting it to freely swing around the tower. At the -top this guide is connected with the pull-ingear, such as the usual mooring ram, and hassuitable means to then couple the ship to a traveling mooring blockengaging the vertical guide and adapted to be pulled down while retaining its engagement 100 ground the bow coupling block can swing around the mast near its base with only a section of the vertical rail moving. Suitable pull-down and up-pull cable connections control the movement of the bow` mooring block while two or more pull-down cables droppe v from the ship are handled bv ound trucks or cars which either have suiiicient weight or which are restrained on suitable circular rails concentric with the arc of'movement of the bow mooring block. Such mooring trucks or cars are arranged with suitable mooringplates or saddles to engage means preferably below bumper-bags either on the bottom of well trussed'parts of the bottom of the-ship, or th ttom of gondolas or power cars, but such vint rconnection between ship and the movable. ground gear is made positive to the extent that the ground gear will prevent 25 downward load deflection and also resist the lift strain of the ship, and the apparatus is organized'to measure the'load as well as the lift. Thus the ground mooring gear provides means for measuring at all times the trim of the ship, while still permitting the ship to swing by the wind while suitablyl restrained at its nose to resist the head wind.

It will thus be seen that the mooring method and the mooring gear provide for advantageously bringing an airship to ground holding it to the ground to resist wind conditions when moored, measuring and indicating verticaltrim at all times, and thereby permitting the adjustment of ballast and the adjustment of load, particularly facilitating the handling of the unloading and loading of passengers and goods involving the varying weight at diii'erent parts of the ship, witha out any danger of vertical swing of the ships hull around its nose coupling.

While many variations may be made in the apparatus, and modifications in the method of handling, a particular example of the method and examples of the different apparatus and gear are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 4

Fig.'I is a perspective view of a 'mast with three stages V01:' ship approaching mooring and moored.

1 Fig. II is a side view of mast with adjacent mooring structure andbow of a ship. moored thereto.Y

Fig. III is a side elevation of mooring Fig. IV is a fragmentary view in section on line IV-IV of Fig. III. A

Fig..IVa is a fragmentary view in elevation of a point of attachment of the retaining guide with coupling carriage.

where it is accessible throughout, its length,

Fi V is an elevation of a modified form of mast ead and ram, showingin dotted lines successive positions of coupling and associated parts. v l Y Fig. Vf* is a fragmentary horizontal section of ship showing nose coupling attached to the form of pull-down carrlage and guide shown in Fig. V.

Fig. VI is a side elevation of'a ground truck l for pulldown and trim of a weighted castering type.

Fig. VIa is a diagrammatic plan of a steered ground truck.

Fig. VII is aside elevation of a monorail load and trim truck.

Fig. VIIx51 is an end elevation of the truck in Fig. VII showing flush rail and adjacent ground support. l In the particular. embodiment of the inventions illustrated in the accompanying4 v a larger radius concentric with the. mast cen tre is a path or a Hush rail C, and at a still greater radius ground marks D on a circle establish mooring wire positions, and may have a plurality of Hush ground pedestals suitably arranged and designated, and with belaying means for cable or snatch-block.

The method of mooring is illustrated by an ail-ship shown dotted in 'position E,

with yaw lines F-F attached to the ships nose and at points on the ground on the circle D with tower bow line-G. In ship position E', the bow line has hauled in the ship so that the nose has engaged the masthead cou'- pling, and pull-down lines H-H have been lowered. In the .final or moored position ship E has been lowered to .the ground with its nose coupling hitched to themast lower- -ing guide, and its pilot car bumper -is engaged and made fast to. a trim car on'the trestle rail, while one orA more aft gondolas or cars have registered with and been secured to a ground truck or trucks. The moored ship is then accessible for running up the gangplank J to the cabin K. Wheels. j at the ground end allow for lateral movement of the gangplank in 'order' to follow the A ships swing while trolleys j, one on either side of the gangplank, with Outrigger struts jfl jfl/I with the ship.

When so4 moored the entire lower side of the ship becomes accessible for unloading orl loading, adjustment of ballast for trim, and any required inspection or overhauling,

assure proper movement are secured to the which may be accomplished by gangways on low-lying ship hulls` and in any others, even the largest, by ladder trucks L, pumpingwagons M, and any number of drop ladders,

bosn chairs, or lines from hatches, from the cars, or any suitable connections on the ship. All such means of access from the ground to the ship involves apparatus which inherf' cntly may swing with the ship or will roll on the ground with the swing of the ship,

accompanying drawingsin a particular em bodiment of design and construction in which the tower A is a fixed strong structure with a spreading base, and suicient strength to withstand the predetermined lateral strain of ship attached at its top. From lts top to, say, within twenty-live feet of the bottom aguide-rail 1 is supported to move on an element of the tower around the outside. Near the top'of this guide-'rail a curved section 2 leads adjacent to the mooring 'ram 3. Fixed to the tower are .gears 4 and 5,'while a pinion 4', and a similar one at the bottom, vertical lowering rail 1, and these two pinions are interconnected to turn together, so that any swinging of the guide-rail 1 around the tower will be the same at top and bottom, thereby keeping the guide-rail substantially on an element of the tower and assuring its free rotating movement about the mast.

A carriage 6 provides for attachment of the nose-coupling of the ship. and is formed with trolley and guide wheels 7-7 engaging the flanges of the lowering guide channels 1-1a. These channels have brackets 8 8, withf wheels 99a engaging a flange of channels, as 10, to hold the guide-rail to the mast or mooring tower and transmit horizontal strain due to tug of the ship. 'to the masts fixed structure. Brackets 11 with weight-carrying wheels 12, may be disposed at suitable intervals -to carry the weight of the guide-rail and permit free lateral rotation around the mast. The masthead in this form comprises a platform 13 with a structural tripod 14 having a gimbal bearing permitting inclination in all directions, supportinga hydraulic ram cylinder'lG, into which a plunger 17 recedes and may be held by a spring but is preferably hydraulically operated by any suitable hydraulic connections and pump mounted on the masthead. The top, curved section 2 of guide-rail 1, has a central bearing 2a positioning it at the ram but allowing it to rotate about the tripod. The mooring ram plunger 17 has a female coupling 18 detachably secured. and a male coupling block 19 forms the swivel connection with the nose coupling 20 of the ship when thebow line is housed. A central hole extends through the ram plunger 17 registering with a sleeve in the raml cylinder 16, to accommodate the pull-in cable 21 which may pass through a guide22 in the platform 13, and down to a power house at the bottom lof the mast, or the pull-in line may be.

handled by a winch .on the masthead platform. For centering the ram suitable gear 16, such as cable,'pulleys and compensating means, may be used.

The mooring ram is allowedto swivel to the desired degree during operation, as shown in dotted lines Figs. II and III, and when the nose coupling block 19 is housed in the ram cup 18, the plunger is retrieved, the

ram brought into a vertical position, and

the cup 18 brought into engage-ment with the pull-down carriage 6 where suitable pins 23 provide for fixed engagement with carriage 6, whereupon the vfemale coupling 18 is detached from the plunger 17, thereby leaving the ships nose secured solely to the pulldown carriage 6 when the clamps 24-24 are engaged with the coupling block 19.

The ship so attached is now ready to be.

lowered, and the nose lowering vis accomplished by the haul-down cable 25 attached to the carriage 6 and carried to the bottom of the haul-down rail 1 where it may be operated by a suitable winch, or may be-reeved back to the top of the guiderail 1, and other suitable sheaves may be attached to the other end of the lowering carriage 6, with an intermediate operating winch under proper control. As shown in Fig. III, a haul-up cable 26 is operated by a winch 27 on the masthead. l

. A modied form of mooring ram and masthead is shown in Figs. V and Va, in which the mooring rain is mounted on a bearing with pivots 28, to swing through a much larger arc .but in one plane. The ram tripod or support and the haul-down rail 1a are permanently secured together and rotate 0n` top of the mast structure, as on a top ring 13, on suitable hold-down bearings. In this .forni the vertical swing of the mooring ram is controlled by a sector 29 actuated by a worm 30.k lVhen the nose coupling'of the ship .has been secured by the male member 19 and fixed by clamps 24 into the cone 3l, the ram is retrieved preferably by hydraulic operation taking the position 31a.. Thereupon the pull-in line is slackcd away, and the sector 29 rotated bringing the ram cone into position 31b and carrying with it the nose coupling 20 so that it registers with a coupling bracket 32 attached to the carriage 6*.

The nose fitting 2O is then coupled to the the top end of a haul-down rail la, which in this form is an I-beam secured rigidl to the masthead swiveling platform an its superstructure supporting the ram. When so designed the rail top is preferabl a short separate section rigidly secured an moving With the top turret, to be brought into register with the lower portion of the railwhen desired. Guide wheels 34--34 permit free movement of the carriage 6a down and up the guide-rail 1a. A haul-down wire 25a is provided with an up-haul cable .26a with suitable winch. Below the swiveling masthead the I-beam or rail la terminates adjacent to a further section of haul-down rail 1b which is rigidly attached to a circular ring 35 carried on wheels 36-37, which permit the rail supporting frame 35 to completely rotate around the mast structure with the rail sections. At one point in the ring 35 is a pin block 38 adapted to receive a pin from the adjacent end of the guide-rail I-beam or its support, so that adjacent sections of the pulldown rail may be locked in registered position. Below the pull-down rail section 1b are a plurality of similar sections, each section being supported by rigid attachmentk to circular rings each mounted on bearings permitting free rotation about the tower. This permits the swiveling of the masthead mooring gear alone, during the approach of the ship, and only requires the registration of the pull-down guide-rail sectionsv when actually lowering or raising the ship. .,lWhQn ground-moored position the ships nose coulm pling and pull-down carriage 6a will engage only one section of the rail, depending upon the size of the ship and the height of the nose above the ground,-and when remaining moored to the ground only one section of retaining rail need be free to revolve about the mast, thereby leaving all the upper sections and the masthead entirely free and stationary. Under these conditions it may in emergency be even possible to operate the mast-j head mooring ram and gear to haul in a second ship to the same mast for temporary mooring at the masthead, Without interfering with the movable nose mooring or the ship on the ground.

` Besides the nose mooring, when the ship is brought to ground it is secured at two or more points to ground gear, one form of which is shown in Fig. VI consisting of a heavy ground truck with chassis 40 having four caster wheels 41, permitting the truck to move in any direction, and a plunger cylinder 42 containing springs supporting a plunger rod 43 carrying a mooring-plate 44. The plunger is supported on a universal joint 45 at the bottom and lateral cushioning rods 46 held in sleeves 47 against springs tending to keep the cylinder 42 in the central position, but permitting a reasonable amount of movement in all directions to accommodate lateral strain of the ship in any. direction and also to provide for the chassis movement during the casterng action of the wheels. On this truck are mounted preferably heavy batteries 48, driving a motor 49 to operate a Winch 50, While the winch wire is reeved through the bottom bearing of the plunger 42 and through the plunger rod 43 to the top surface of the mooring-plate 44, so that its free end may be coupled with a pull-down line H lowered from a ships gondola and preferably through an opening in a ships mooring-plate 51 shown dotted, with ledges 52 below a buffer-bag 53, so arranged that quick-release clamps, such as shown at 54, will engage a permanent part of the ship and hold it when moored securely to the mooring-plate 44 of the ground truck. Such toggle clamps A54 provide for a tight hold and a quick-release by the operator on the truck throwing out the lower arm as shown, or effected by remote control.

A pressure indicator 55 is located in conjunction with the plunger 42 and registers both the downward pressure on the mooringplate, as well as the lift of the ship straining at the couplings attaching it to the mooringplate.- The lift or load where the truck is attached to the ship is thereby accurately measured at all times, and any suitable means for communication and indication may be carried from each truck to the control station for coordinate action by the landing officer. The ram bar 43 may also be calibrated so that the "amplitude of up-and-down movement against the springs in the ram indicates or checks the readings by instrument.

Mooring trucks may have liberal chassis and equipment weight, with winch and motor equipment and even driving equipment, and may also be weighted down additionally when required, by' water or other ballast. When the ship is landed and the mooringplate clamps set, the pull-down wire on the truck may be disconnected at a suitably provided coupling 56 available through a recess in the landing plate, and thereafter the ship will be free for release held solely by the clamps 54.

Instead of castering wheels, suitable fourwheel steering construction may be used where the' operation of the truck for maneuvering about the field if desired, in which case axles 57--58 arecontrolled by suitable steering gear diagrammatically shown for illustration, with a single central steering means in proximity to the control means for actuating the winch so that the apparatus becomes a one-man truck for several functions. The chassis will, furthermore, be provided with suitable-anchor cables and' guide sheaves so that the Winch may be used for pulling in the yaw wires, as shown in Fig. 1. Such heavy trucks will be used on a smooth mooring field surface accurately leveled so that the swing of the ship will keep the several moorload' strains on the ship.

ing cars in the same plane and prevent lundue Where it is convenient to f use Va circular mooring rail concentric with the tower, such may be on a trestle aswhen close to the tower,

VII and VIP, in which the chassis 60, carries a landing-plate with plunger and ram, spring-held in horizontal directions and articulated for lateral swing to a limited degree, and with motorA and winch, all generally as in the landing truck above described. vIn such monorail landing car one track wheels 61-61 ride on the top of I-beam `62 and brackets (S3-63 carrying under-running whee 4-64 engaging the underside ofthe top lan es of the I-beam 62, inforder to resist thev 11p-thrust due to the lift of the ship. Lateral wheels 65--65 ride on smooth lateral ways which are Hush with the ground in the case of the depressed track, butwhich may be enlarged so as to engage any suitable lateral ways to act as outriggers and properly support the mooring car laterally. With such rail mooring cars the lift is resisted by the rail and weighting is not necessary as in the case of the mooring truck.

, To more fully appreciate the importance of the inventions herein set forth, it will be understood that when an airship is moored to the top of a mooring mast inthe now conventional way, it is subject to the alternating sunshine and shade as in partly cloudy weather, the dilerences in day and night temperature and the effect of rain. Also where there 1s liability of snow, the excessive weight, particularly wet snow near the ground, makes it very difficult, if not impossible to cope with the uestion of trimming the ship to prevent it rom canting up ata dangerous angle or dropping down and striking the ground. In emergency it even becomes necessary with such bow mooring at a mast-head, to cast off and seek safe altitudes or air conditions, but with unpreparedness of machinery or crew, qitelikely when moored at station, departure would be impractical andmight mean loss of the ship.

Furthermore, when moored inthe now conventional way atthe top ofva mast, as, for` example, one hundred feet high, all cargo, suppliesand passengers arecarried to the top of the mast, which at best is slow for handling and requires very skillful andv careful management-in order to keep the ship in trim even under most favorable conditions,

By my method, contactwith the approaching ship is made with the mast wire or haul-in cable, and preferably two yaw wires. The ground handling of the iaw wires is by apparatus such as winch trucks, which later serve I as ground trucks for ffloatinguground mooring pointsvof the ship., 'Having brought the ship s nose to the mast, the particular and important advantages of my method-involve the apparatus suitable to connect the ship t0 vertically movable restraining block .or carpoint to be moved down with the entire ship, being drawn down or lowered until-predetermined-points on the bottom of the ship are accessible from the ground, and then securing the ship to the ground by apparatus hereinbefore described in detail.

The hauling-down wires are cou led with lines from mooring cars or truc s below readily floated into proper position,` and suitabl adjusting ballast and up-strain keeps lthe pu l wires taut, thereby preventing danger from vertical gusts during the mooringoperation. As soon as the bottom mooring engages the ground truck saddles and is made secure, quick connections for water ballast can be made to pump from a roving tank car on the ground, and immediately adjust for loading on the ground'truck's, so that with.

the nose moored to a swiveling mast rail -or guide rail section, the only unrestrained movement is the swing with the wind, and the-iioating ground trucks and mast connection accommodate the swing perfectly, and

lriage adapted to permit the nose mooring. I

without interference with the further operav tions, which are the essential reasons for the mooring of the ship, namely, the disembarkm0 'ing of goods or assengers and replenishi'ng of supplies and allast, and then reloading. The power cars will then be accessible from the ground by ladders or portable steps adapted to move with the swing of the ship or readily maneuver.. All of the direct con-` nections with the ground may be conveniently removed clear of the swing of the ship when the latter remains at its mooring during the night or at times when heavy or varying winds make it'unnecessary or undesirable to load or unload. The rear control, such as the elevators and rudders and their gear, will be within convenient reach by ladders or hoists,

4and with stagin for overhaulin and repair or inspection. or trim. contro ballast can be fed through the nose or bow, thus concentrating` all the operations for equilibrium close to the mast where supplies and power house provide for handling with the minimum ofmovement even though the "wind should box the compass.

Thus when the ship has been brought to the mast, and lowered to the ground, with the ground mooring gear secured, ballast connection -canbe immediately made and served' under direction of the landA oicer. as the passengers disembark, and accurately regulated to compensate for the lift while unloadinggoods, and also, later pon when loading or l shipping supplies. Throughout theseopera- .Being close to theground it tions suitable telephone connection with each ground mooring gear supplies the important; 1fnot the essential information regarding the lift or load and the exact de ree at each ground contact of, the ship, an ballast or trimming of cargo and supplies can be regulated to meet conditions in order to avoid any undue vertical strains in the ships structure. will, of course, provide for most convenient emergency addition of buoyant gas, or replenishin loss, and in any event providin for the con 'tions desired for the next flig t.

When leaving such a mooring'station, the ground mooring apparatus with its load and lift measuring and indicating devices, makes vvaried 1n character and extent,- modifications both in character and the numit possible to trim ship to a level keel, or any degree of excess of bow or stern lift found desirable at the moment for departure. After removal of all gangways, steps, ladders -or `ballast connection, the quick-release devices on the ground mooring gear can be thrown out instantly, thereby releasing the ship from all connection except the nose coupling. The nosecoupling carriage is then run up the mast with the rise of the ship clear of the ground to any desired degree, and' at or near the top of the mast, the nose coupling is released, and the ship floats free with the wind, or in still weather rises clear of the mast and is ready for its flight. Some of the propellers can be backed in still weather to put a strain on the mast connection, to still further assure itsriding "clear of the mast. Under certain conditions, `the 'pull-down ropes from the ground trucks may be payed out to ease the ship to its elevated position, still keepin control for horizontal trim, and with sultab e means of regulation for measuring the pull, andtheends of the wires then released, and the cables ulled back into the ship and stowed ready. or the next landing.

The' ground mooring equipment may be and many ber of ground gear may be used, and their exact design will embody in the details such automotive construction and hoist and indiits e uipment will have am eating and communication apparatus, as are best suited for the purpose. It is therefore not necessary t'o show and ,describe many details of construction, but the illustrations of the ground mooring truck and -monorail car, shownfor example, will suffice to make clear the important features of invention, and indicate any development and improvement in apparatus which may be desired for any particular station equipment. It will be noted, however, that the ground mooring truck with le weight toresist t e proportion oflift tiat maybe concentrated at itspoint ofl attachment to the ship, and the structure will be of ample strength to carry the maximum load. The cushioning .springs will have a sultable load and lift of the s or pull-measurlng apparatus will be embodied with suitable indicators, in a reliable way and properly protected for the character of service, and will have such lighting land telephone communication connections as to meet all 4the requirements, as heretofore indicated, or that may prove advantageous for the best handling of the mooring and releasing, as well as the holding of the'ship at station for any short or long period. In the case of the monorail truck weight is not necessary, and the chassis or running gear will be designed to' float freelyand permit the obvious lateral strain to be. suitably out affecting the pro er registering of the ip at the point of attachment. Quick-release dogs or other suitable devices will be embodied. The landingplates on the ground mooring gear will preferably be standardized, and a standard form -of bottomengaging plate will be adopted for all ships, so they may at any time use this method of mooring at an station or airport. While the weight on the smooth surface trucksmay be designed to of the smallest ships, bl added so that the w additional weights may 0 same trucks can be used en larger shlps are berthed. Should it be run-from the hull sides to points on the circle of motion of the ground truck, and secured to movable carrlages spaced from the trim truck by suitable outriggers; or with some constructions of ships vertical struts may be run from the ground or ground cars to thehullbilges, means on one side, or both, if desired.

In certain kcases modified ground gear will prove of great importance. This is in the use of airships in cold weather or for northern exploration or service. Where freezing weather is encountered the ground trucks may be equipped with runners or placed on skids readily movable on the ice or on the snow. In lsuch case, a circular track or tracks vided in a much'simplified form, and easilyv and quickly made with economy.

' The mast-head constructions heretofore described-` in detail may be modiied'in many ways. The mooring ram per se, may be used. in the form now generally known, and likewise theA known forms of couplings may serve in -the combination of other structural feameet the conditions or any suitable engaging and partures involved in these inventions'. It is vprej ferred, however,.to use a` ram under hydraulic v control, and thereby readily provide v,for the.'x

retrieving of the plunger` at willby the at- 'tendant, and underv perfect control. Such` hydraulic manipulation provides psuremeans of nesting the mooring line cone in its cup and securing the cup to the haul-down car, and thereafter detaching the .cup or female member from the ram plunger in the case of the form shown in Fig.'l III. The same advantages apply to the case of the modified mast-head gear shown in Fig. V for the hou's-l l ing and securing of the cone, and .in addition.

it facilitates `the -operation of bringing the \trol of trim,

' cone-pin into registry and thereupon linkingup the nose connection 'with thepull-down car .or trolley. d Ample motor equipment may be .carried on the mast-head for all the required manipulation vof the ram and to operate and control the movement of the pull-down carriage. The swing of the ram to any necessary lateralv angle it will be seen ispermitted. 'With all, the only requirementsat mast-head are for the coupling and lowering of the ships nose or .bow connection, thereby entirely eliminatingthe size and strength of mast upper work that would otherwise e necessary inthe now common practice of hauling goods, crew and passengers to the top with elevators or hoists,

u or requirin pipe lines for the feeding of supplies or. bal ast. For access to the ships bow, a limited amount of equipment and apparatus may, of course, be embodied as in any of the known forms of design. In anyeevent'` the mast top or ram swivel to permit the ram to operate in all directions throughout thev circle, but a complete vgimbaled ram support becomes unnecessary, anda pivot on one horizontal axis simplifies the design inthis part, with the complete rotation of the mast top and the adjacent lowering guide rail pro-v viding for the necessary movement around the compass. j

As it is well understood that airships of the future will be of large and larger sizes, the.

mooring masts of nearly twohundred feet P i 1n the landing as well as departure of ships would have to be built higher for the former methods of mooring, but even large or expanded sizes of masts may be greatly avoided when it becomes only necessary, as in the case of these inventions, to temporarily haul-in to the mast-head, vbecause the danger of rise or fall of the stern willbe eliminated as soon as the ship is lowered to earth and secured by the groundmooring equipment.

All of the features herelnset forth relating to the method and also. to the apparatus shown and described in one form, will, it is understood, be subject to many variations,

and particularly in size and detail `as well as` v arrangement. v

Whlle many embodiments or adaptations of these inventions might be mentioned, one of for. handling goods `and passengers and particular interest involves the provision for mooring.. of. airships over buildings.-

the Usin 4this-method the trestle B, in anymodifled orm, or girders or trusses may be constructed over buildings thereby leaving the ground area availablefor other useful purposes. In cities, such rigid rail sup orts may e constructedI over the roofs o existing buildings evenk of varying heights. Thus a mooring station on buildings wouldbe possible with only suiiicient space for the mooring mast and a small adjacent area,'while the ground gear-for rholding `the ship down and supporting its load, involving complete conwould be taken careof by two or more circular tracks supported over the buildings and spanning anygaps between or over streets.. Adjacent the trestle tracks,

platforms, as shown in Fig. I, would provide accessibility to the ship for station work. Such circular platform may also be supported onv tracks to revolvewith the ship, keeping passengers or goods always in convenient position for access to the ship, and with frequent steps or other means of access to the movable platform at pointsaround the track, con- Venient pa-rticularly 'in the case of the smaller radius ltrack close .to the mast.

Such an adaptation of the invention would solve the problem of providing an airship station in a mostdesirable location in cities for commercial purposes, because it provides for the complete supportand control of ship at station, thus entirely `avoiding the very serious contingency of the ship sinking by the stern, which is tlie great danger in other methods of mooring to a masthead.

The invention in its many forms provides forthe various power equipment and gear for berthing and mooring, being handled at the base, on ground, or on ground tracks, besides facilitating the loading and unloading and the inspection of the entire ship. 'It makes possiblefthe entire mooring and berthing control of airships being subject to ground command observation, and with amle freedom of movement for personnel, both from station, and all duties required in connection with the ship when at station. Departure from many parts of the ship can be made quickly in emergency. and a crew can be shipped far quicker by boarding at any number of points with the crew eachgoing direct to quarters, instead of as heretofore j the restricted boarding by a single bow hatch not confined to the particular embodiments gear having self-contained equipment to' manipulate yaw lines or pull-down lines from herein speciiicaly described or shown in the accompanying rawin s, but that various modifications and muc engineering detail will be involved in the specific practice of my invention at each station or for stations at various locations and subject -to varying conditions, but without departing from the spirit of'my invention,-and what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A mooring station for airships having a central mast interio'rly rigidly braced an without external guy wires, mast-head landing wire and coupling apparatus adapted to swing around the axis of the mast, a vertical restraining guide held a fixed distance from the axis of the mast-and cooperating with the mast-head gear and adapted-to swing around the outside of the .tower with horizontal strain-resisting connections therewith, and a carriage to hold said couplingapparatus against the guide in all positions of elevation.

2. An airship mooring station comprising a rigid mast, ships bow coupling connections supported on and a fixed distance from the axis of said mast, a rotatable coupling guiderail secured to the outside 'of the mast by means permittingit to swing freely around the same with an attached ship, a ground support carriage carried on a circular rail around said mast and a second ground gear having means for attachment to the ships bottomnadapted. to swing around the mast, a plurality yof means positioned invv a circle around said mast at greater radius adapted for attachment of yaw lines, a mobile ground a ship. 1

v 3. A mooring mast comprising an internally trussed structure. from its top to near its'bottom, a vertical guide secured a fixed distance from the axis of the mast by means permitting it to rotate around the outside of the mast, a mooring lin'e coupling engaging by slidable means said guide andmeansto control vertical movement thereof, and a swiveling mast-head-cable-handling apparatus cooperating with the upper end of the guide. l

4.. Mooring equipment for an airship comprising a lstructure having a mooring block or coupling supported to freely swing around said structure adapted forcontrolled vertical movement and resisting the horizontal pull of the ship at all points of elevation to hold said mooring block at fixed radial distances from the groundtruck unconstrained to move in all rections adapted to engage the bottomof the ship, ing of to be secured thereto and embodymeans to resist and measure load'or lift said ship in a vertical direction. l y

5. Ground gear for airsliip mooring comprising a mooring ram having -of thev tower by supports f swing completely axis 'ofthe mast, a freely mobile prising a bow1 mooring pivotal connection, means to restrain the ship s position a predetermined distance from the ground and permit free swinging of the ship around said bow mooring, a gangplank or the like having a ground support permitting free swinging and detachabla around said bow mooring, connections with the ship to move the gangplank or the like withthe swing of the ship.

6? Ground gear for airship'mooring comprising a 'bow moorin pivotal connection,

means toA restrain the s ups position a prethe ground and means for alternately shifting the ship couto the vertical guide for pling from: the ram independent `manipulation of thev coupling either in the ramor .for movement on the guide. v

. 8. A mooring station for airships comprising `a mooring mast, means for bow connection of a ship adapted to be lowered and raised on said -mast and revolve about the same, a level circular rail said mast having form ladj acent to ing 'structures or ground and providing accessibility to adj acent parts of a ship moored to said rail. f

9. mooringmast for airships comprising l a rigid tower, a rigid rail heldv by strain- -resisting means a lixed distance from theaxis Y permitting itlto Varound the tower, a mooring carriage adapted to slide the'full length vertically on said rail without interference' withthe rail supports, an inwardly curved upper portion to said rail intersecting the axis of the mast, whereby the mooring carriage may slideinto axial position at the top for the reception of the ships nose cou- 1 plingand -may `slide down the raill with the about the axisof'. fixed supports and a plat-" v and concentric with said.

` rail, means for access thereto from surroundship s nose couplingaxis substantially hori'- zontal.

, In testimony name-to this applicat-ionthis 16 day of J anuary, 1924.v Y

v HERBERT V.

whereof, I have signed 

